The present invention relates to a method of obtaining from an access network (for example a Wide Area Network (WAN)) information relating to a local environment of a terminal of a local network (for example a Local Area Network (LAN)).
The invention finds a preferred application in the field of the provision of personalized services, in particular to enable telecommunications carriers and/or service providers to provide a terminal with services adapted to suit its local environment as a function of environment information relating to the local network of the terminal.
The terminal accesses a service via a customer line of an access network of the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) type, access to the network being effected via NAS (Network Access Server) or BAS (Broadband Access Server) type equipment.
The terminal is monitored by and obtains an IP (Internet Protocol) address from the access network carrier. To this end, the terminal is identified to an access session server.
In the context of the invention, the expression network access session server (CLF: Connectivity Session Location and Repository Function) refers to a server for collecting information about user sessions at the access network level. In a manner known in the art, the session server stores an IP address of a terminal in association with corresponding information relating to the geographical location of the network, access characteristics (uplink bit rate, downlink bit rate, physical characteristics of the line), the name of the access provider.
Moreover, the terminal is configured in the local network by an autoconfiguration server of the access network.
In the context of the invention, the expression AutoConfiguration Server (ACS), Customer Network Gateway Configuration Function (CNGCF), or Customer Premises Equipment Configuration Function (CPECF) refers to a server enabling a terminal to have its parameters set and to be configured automatically so that it is able to access services of a service provider to which the customer subscribes as a function of the customer's rights of access to services and of the type of terminal. Consequently, the autoconfiguration server holds all the customer's rights of access to services and the various parameters making it possible to configure the various types of terminal of those customers. The autoconfiguration server is able to recover terminal status modifications and information relating to the configurations of the terminals.
The service is provided to the terminal by an application server (AF: Application Function).
At present there is no simple and reliable method of obtaining from the access network local environment information relating to a terminal of a local or home network. Below the expression “local environment” information refers to environment information in the local or home network.
A fortiori, such a method is not used to provide a service adapted to suit a terminal in a local or home network as a function of local environment information obtained from the access network.